It’s not just medical audits that will identify the black sheep in the medical fraternity. Now, to be roped in an effort to save the missing girl child are members of Parliament, judges, district collectors and spiritual leaders. At least 126 MPs from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh will receive Rs 5 lakh each to conduct advocacy in their constituencies while a massive training camp was recently conducted to sensitise judges at Bhopal. The 2001 Census found that there were 36 million less women and the culprits mainly figured in states with vulnerable child sex ratios—Haryana has 819 girls per 1000 boys; Chandigarh 845 girls; Himachal Pradesh 896 girls; and Punjab 798 girls. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare soon brushed up its act and issued several population stabilisation directives.But the recent move comes after surveys and studies clearly showed that access to technology (especially pre-natal diagnostic tests that help in sex determination) and services coupled with enhanced purchasing power have cost the girl child dearly. Apart from setting up a National Support and Monitoring Cell in association with the UNFPA to strengthen the Pre-Conception-Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, the health officials are now involving MPs, judges and spiritual leaders. Sushma Rath, Undersecretary in Ministry of Family Welfare, told The Indian Express that as on date there were 30,805 ultrasound clinics in the country. While 423 cases have been slapped against offenders for not registering ultrasound machines, only 59 doctors were caught red handed while determining the sex of the foetus. Sadly, only one doctor’s registration has been cancelled from Punjab. The National Inspection and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) set up to oversee the implementation of the PC-PNDT Act conducted raids at ultrasound clinics across the country and registered cases for improper maintenance of medical records of pregnant women. District collectors have been appointed as the new Appropriate Authorities instead of civil surgeons or chief medical officers earlier. A sensitisation programme was conducted at the National Judicial Academy at Bhopal. The Ministry of Education will also incorporate a chapter on the issue of the missing girl child in the school curriculum while the Centre for Studies in Ethics has been urged to develop a chapter on the PC-PNDT Act for the MBBS foundation course in medical colleges. Under the National Rural Health Mission, a total of 3,19,812, Accredited Social Health Activists have also been roped in to act as agents of behaviour modification and community sensitisation.
